babygems started this discussion ·
Hi everyone Since starting to pole I've realised I have the gracefulness of a hippo lol. All the pretty girly spins and turns look terrible when I do them. Is being graceful something that is learned over time or is it just something that comes naturally to some?
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This was my question in January. The girls on here gave me amazzzzing advice that really helped improved my grace a LOT and i could not be more thankful. They gave me tons of tips but these were the ones that stuck in my brain above all: 1) ditch your mirror. It may sound crazy but the mirror is holding you back from being graceful a lot more than you think. Watch yourself on video camera only. 2) pretend you are underwater; think about floating in and out of tricks and transitions 3) bend and straighten the legs and point the feet with purpose. Always be mindful of what all the body parts (but epsecially those legs and feet) are doing 4) dont rush through things to get to a certain trick. All parts of the dance are equally important. Pretend a photographer is constantly taking your picture. You want each shot to looking dazzling, so be concious of how youre moving all the time not just certain tricks. 5) (my personal tip) watch lots of video of others esp dancers like jenyne butterfly, eva bembo, and olga koda, who do all of these things perfectly. Try to copy some of their transitions and then perfect them on your own. Happy poling!
In my opinion, gracefulness definitely comes naturally to some people, but like most things with practice it can be achieved! A lot of the time people struggle with gracefulness because they are putting to much focus on trying to make it look graceful, as soon as the movement looks forced or over-thought about it loses that effortlessness and fluid look. Think of it as a mind over matter type of thing, if you can release your body into the movement and let your "go" it really makes a difference in how the movements look. You don't have to have perfect technique or flexibility to achieve grace! I've attached a video that might seem sort of random, but I suggest giving it a try. I think the way she goes from controlled, structured positions to fluid "flailing" motions is really awesome, plus its a great little warm-up as well :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3w83IwdrIM
I agree a lot with whats been said. ... but since Julianna brought up "flailing" I just wanted to say I thought Kristen Wiig was kind of awesome performing for Sia at the grammys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rFkpcyZ598 Sorry for the tangent, but I think its somewhat related :)
OMG Allyson I thought Kristen was sooo good. I had only really known her from the bridesmaid movie and when I read an article about her in the grammy vid I was like huh? but when I watched I thought: she killed it! Also as far as gracefulness I agree with all the tips for myself no mirrors especially was a big help as well as video taping so I could look back and see where to adjust. I could see that when I do this move I'd need to arch more or stick out the hip more etc. I have friends that look like they were born moving beautifully but that was not my case. I was awful like soooo awful. Not anymore though :) just practise you can learn grace you don't have to do it naturally I promise.
babygems ·
@Sabina Rex Thank you for all the tips and for taking the time to list them all theres some really good ideas for me to try. @JulianRose thanks for sharing the video. I love it! Especially love that the music used is DnB. Which has been my musical love since my early teens so its lovely to see someone move so beautifully to it. @AllysonKendal I love the Sia video and so does my daughter. We've watched this a couple of times this morning. Thanks for sharing :) @Cherished its good to hear that you have learned grace. Theres hope for me yet. Thanks for your reply xx
jezebels ·
I would say it's learned. If you think about it, every bit of coordination and strength we have is developed throughout our lives, from when we are clumsy babies just learning to walk to the coordinated movements required to be an elite athlete. Most of us who haven't had gymnastics, dance, or strength/flexibility training have developed lazy posture habits and lost strength/flexibility in some of our supporting muscles. We also aren't as trained in body awareness. It takes a lot of time to get a sense of where your limbs are in space and the shapes your body is making as you move, as well as time to develop the strength and flexibility to be able to create the shapes and lines you are trying to emulate in various poses and spins. Be patient with yourself and keep working! :)
I would say it's learned too and some people may have just learned it younger. There are no graceful babies or toddlers yknow? But often those kids are put in dance or gymnastics or maybe just naturally played at imitating movement they saw in movies or tv. Everyone here has wonderful tips! Just keep practicing and playing!
This is a great thread and wonderful tips! I'll throw in a couple more. Don't forget to breathe - don't hold your breath during your movements , oxygen helps our muscles move better. I know it sounds really basic, but so often when we concentrate we hold our breath. The other is to allow yourself to reach to the fullest extent of a movement (eg feel for a stretch in the movement) and take your time and enjoy even the simplest moves. think about how it feels, and not how it looks. Remember it's a process, enjoy the journey!
Veena ·
It can be learned, it can be natural. I've been told I'm graceful and I've learned by watching others, then using mirrors and video to watch my movements back. I've very visual, so if you are also visual you'll really benefit by using a mirror and watching others. Not using a mirror can be a great exercise in "feeling" you natural movement, but if you want to perfect I strongly feel mirrors are our best friends. Just make sure you don't get so caught up in having to see what you're doing that you can't dance with that visual feedback. 💜 Even though I'm naturally graceful (when I dance, I trip, fall and run into walls all the time in my normal life!🙈!) I practice, practice then practice more!!! There are day's where I focus JUST on arms or upper body, then days I do lower, and of course I also put them together other days!
I am not naturally graceful at all! I have had to learn it! I work on a pole move until I nail it most of the time then I add the extensions and pointed toes. I have also learned to slow everything down to get more seamless transitions. I still have a way to go on a lot of moves but I just keep working at it. It can be learned some of us just have to practice more.
Omg Twilight Star I nearly forgot the breathing! Yes thats very important too and I remember that tip. Did you give me that one in january?
That was me I think 👋🏼 although I may not have been the only one :) breath + intent are sooo important and make such a big difference!
@sabrinarex I may have (?) - I know I hold my breath a lot and always need reminding s figured I can't be the only one ! :)
Well thank you because i used that! Its become so second nature at this point I forgot to even say it.
Breathing is definitely a big one- I blog about nail polish and do stamping and mani's almost daily and always hold my breath when trying to do something delicate and don't realise til I've let it out, so I'm practicing trying to be more aware. I don't get belly breathing though- I know how to stabilise my core by kinda pushing my belly out and holding it (I used to do powerlifting and it's necessary when deadlifting 80kgs for reps) but IDK how to belly breathe and not have my gut push out :p As for the rest- I think I have good-ish flow but it took me time to learn to sloooooow things down (and I'm still a fast dancer unless I'm tired) and just remembering the basics like extend the legs, point the toes etc. Try and hold your fingers as if you're watching something drip delicately off them when you're not using them, try to use your arms as well as the rest of your body... I *love* the idea of imagining you're underwater, that's a brilliant tip.
In my case, it was definitely learned. When I started pole I felt like dancing hippos had me majorly out-classed. For me, it was "just" a matter of lots and lots of practice and slowing down. I figured I'd never be graceful, so I just focused on enjoying the movement, and feeling good in my body. Also, it sounds weird, but at least for me, strength plays a huge role in gracefulness--the stronger I got, the smoother (and often slower) my movements became. I still don't think of myself as being super-graceful, but I'm way better than when I started. And on the way, I had a lot of fun and got to know lots of awesome women!
JenLFG ·
Gracefulness comes with time. That is something I really have to try to focus on... I too am as graceful as a hippo 😁
